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The Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev Peter Akinola has warned about the decline of Christianity in Osoogun, the birthplace of the missionary pioneer in Africa, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, about 134 years after the Church made in-roads into the area.
According to the Primate, it is sad that Christians constitutes just about 15 per cent of the population of the area.
"This is not a time to apportion blames on what happened, but to move-on and recover the years we have lost," Akinola told members of the Church in Ifo, Ogun State, while inaugurating the 105th diocese of the Church.
It will be recalled on March 4, during the consecration of 20 bishops, Rt. Rev Olukemi Oduntan was consecrated for the missionary diocese of Ajayi Crowther. The diocese was inaugurated as the 103rd diocese of the Church of Nigeria on March 11.
Articulating his vision in a document entitled, "Ajayi Crowther Missionary Diocese Vision Blueprint," Oduntan noted that the Church has not grown well in spite of the 134 years of its existence due to lack of manpower and poor follow-up.
The Bishop, in the vision, outlined plans in areas of education, mission, agriculture, health, Christian resource and Conference center, to restore the labour and struggle of the great man, Ajayi Crowther .
Bishop Crowther, 1807-1891, was a linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. He was born in Osogun, in today's Iseyin Local Government of Oyo State, and played a leading role in the opening of the Niger Mission in Onitsha and Lokoja. He opened missions at Bonny (1864), Brass in 1868, Kalabari in 1874 and built the first school in Onitsha in 1858. He was involved in the translation of the Bible into many Nigerian languages.
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